Can’t help it, I guess. We’re all wired differently. Killer whales trapped in the ice evokes a stronger reaction in me than anonymous victims of starvation, poverty and war in Africa, Asia and other places.

Personal story: I recall having a chat many years ago with a friend about charity. I don’t recall all the details – maybe we were throwing around a fictitious scenario, like what would you do if you had a zillion dollars – but I revealed that I’d give to an animal-related charity before one that helped people (these days I’d probably do both). She was surprised, so I explained it this way: I like animals I don’t know more than people I don’t know.

Do I still feel that way? Did I even really feel that way when I said it? I don’t know. I’d need to give it more thought. Certainly, intellectually, all things being equal, I value human life above animal. But I do know I have an urge to drop everything and fly to northern Quebec with a pickaxe.

I dunno. Maybe other people put more faith in their heroes, so their feelings are more bruised when that person lets them down. I tend to assume these media giants among us are 50-per cent constructs, with the other half composed of the usual human foibles, including lying, fear and greed (but good stuff, too). Armstrong lied and he made money from the lie. But it’s also probably true that tons of professional athletes lie about the lengths they go to to win, and they do it because we have collectively inflated the importance of what they do, which means lots of money is at stake, as well as global fame.

People love Bill Clinton. Was his infidelity with Lewinsky less reprehensible than Armstrong doping in a sport replete with doping?

Armstrong deserved to be stripped of his titles, he deserved to be exposed, he probably deserves to be sued for misrepresenting himself, but whether or not he’s a truly bad person is probably best determined by the people who know the real man.

It was nothing less than bizarre. The start of a new series? A one-off? And what a strange mix of skill levels, from very impressive dives (for amateurs) to plunges that verged on being SNL skits. And let’s just say the list of celebrities taking part was less than A-list. Yet, all this absurdity was mixed with human stories: it really would take guts to do what they did. Perhaps the most unexpected thing on TV in months, if not years.

UPDATE: Ice shifted and the whales were freed: http://www.cumberlandnewsnow.com/News/Canada%20-%20World/Society/2013-01-10/article-3153829/Shifting-sea-ice-frees-trapped-killer-whales-in-northern-Quebec-locals/1